The final Rankings for 2017 for individual agencies and groups have just been released by the Creative Circle. This includes 2017 results from Cannes, D&AD, Loeries, One Show and the Creative Circle Annual Awards.

2018 is officially the year of privacy: The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will officially come into force on 25 May, followed by its local cousin, PoPIA in the second or third quarter of the year. You may be feeling this already - who hasn't received a flood of Privacy Policy and Data Protection Policy updates from around the world.

Sharon Keith made a name for herself as marketing director at Coca-Cola Africa, but is now bubbling over with the need to pursue other professional and personal interests. Here, Keith shares top highlights from the first Share-A-Coke campaign to the Rainbow campaign that went on to win both a Gold Cannes Lion and the internal Coca-Cola Bravery Award.

Andile Khumalo is House of Brave's new non-executive chairman. This follows the agency's BEE transaction earlier this year that saw group CEO Karabo Songo and chief future officer Musa Kalenga acquire an initial 25.1% of the Group through its investment division Fastgro, and is as a major step towards enhancing the partnership between its shareholders.

Cannes Lions has announced the 413 jury members selected for the 2018 awards. This year's juries are composed of individuals from 50 countries, including for the first-time representatives from Georgia, Nigeria, Kenya and Sri Lanka.

The South African consumer landscape is set for a multitude of shifts in the next ten years, not least of which is the maturing of the local market with growth in the Generation X (35-49 year old) market segment set to outpace that in the Generation Y Millennial age group.

Leaders have followers, and nowhere is that more evident than the global e-commerce market, where giant digital shopping destinations like eBay, Amazon and Alibaba now account for more than 50% of the nearly $500 billion spent by North American consumers online.

Africa is a hot bed of opportunities. If you look for that opportunity you will find it, says Robyn de Villiers, vice chair of the African Public Relations Association (APRA) and chair and CEO of Burson Cohn & Wolfe Africa.

The oldest of Generation Z (or iGen or Centennials) - that generation coming after the millennials and before what some are already referring to as the Alpha Generation - are now 22 years of age. And, it seems this generation does not have it easy, despite technology making life increasingly more seamless, exciting and enjoyable. Being careful to avoid stereotyping, one can cautiously state that they have been born into a Vuca world, to cite the trendy acronym for 'volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity'.

Nescafé has unveiled a new crafting process and packaging design for its popular Gold range of instant coffees. The 80-year-old brand says the new product and brand journey is designed to "transform coffee drinking from beyond just a daily ritual to a lifestyle where meaningful connections are celebrated".

Loeries Creative Week is taking place in Durban in August and the jury presidents will guide over 160 judges in the process of selecting the best of brand communication from across Africa and the Middle East.